Spice/K2 at root of recent Oakland County deaths (With video)

At the Tucker Cipriano-Mitchell Young preliminary exam Wednesday, witness Ian Zinderman said “Spice” was on the mind of the accused murderer Tucker Cipriano before he and Young allegedly beat Tucker’s father Robert Cipriano to death with a baseball bat in Farmington Hills April 16.

“Tucker wanted me to get Spice,” Zinderman said. “They would roll it up into joints. Tucker was talking of getting money out of his dad’s wallet to get the Spice.”

After breaking into the Cipriano family home the first time, Zinderman said the trio drove to a gas station where Cipriano bought Spice and smoked it. Zinderman also stated when talk later turned to killing the entire Cipriano family, Tucker smoked more Spice to dispel “second thoughts.”

Spice — the mixture of chemicals and plant material that’s openly sold in area tobacco shops and gas stations — may have also played a role in the Jonathan Hoffman case in West Bloomfield where his grandmother Sandra Layne is accused of shooting the 17-year-old to death on May 18. Authorities say abuse of the drug has exploded just this past year.

“Spice” refers to a variety of herbal mixtures that produce experiences similar to marijuana (cannabis), according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. The drugs — marketed as “safe” legal alternatives to marijuana — are sold under many names, including K2, fake weed, Yucatan Fire, Skunk, Moon Rocks, and others.

“It’s sold under a million different names,” said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard, “but it’s basically the same crap.

“If these places were selling cocaine (a controlled substance), we would be able to shut them down the same day.”

Labeled “not for human consumption,” the mixtures contain dried, shredded plant material and chemical additives that are responsible for their mind-altering effects.

Synthetic marijuana makers have tried to stay ahead of law enforcement by making small changes, replacing banned substances with different mixtures with similar properties.

Calls to the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Poison Center have “exploded” this past year, said Dr. Susan Smolinske, the center’s managing director.

“Just this year we have had 190 calls,” said Smolinske. All but 10 of the calls were from hospitals where personnel were dealing with cases where someone had used synthetic marijuana, she explained.

“We had one guy in his early 20s who has a permanent paralysis on his left side,” she said.

“We have had a lot of cases of seizures. One was so uncontrolled, he had to be put in a medical coma.”

Symptoms include rapid heart rate, vomiting, agitation, confusion, and hallucinations. Spice can also raise blood pressure and cause reduced blood supply to the heart (myocardial ischemia), and in a few cases it has been associated with heart attacks. Regular users may experience withdrawal and addiction symptoms.

The chemical sprayed on the plant material works on the same brain receptors that marijuana does, said Smolinske.

Smolinske said she believes the “high profile” cases such as Cipriano’s involving Spice are “just the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot more under the iceberg.”

Asked if she believed the drug should be banned, Smolinske said, “Yes, like yesterday.”

Spice turns up in Layne-Hoffman case

Reports swirling around the Sandra Layne case suggest Spice could be a factor in the murder that has gained international attention.

Layne is accused of killing her teenage grandson Jonathan Hoffman at her home May 18. She is charged with open murder and a felony firearms offense.

Layne’s attorney Jerome Sabbota has spoken to media that Hoffman, who was on probation for possessing marijuana, could have been using Spice even though judges ordered him not to use any drugs or alcohol.

Tests are being conducted to determine what was in Hoffman’s system the night he was shot.

Oakland County investigators say they have seen a spike in Spice as a factor in crime.

“It’s a big problem and it seems to be growing,” Bouchard said.

On May 18, Sheriff’s deputies were called to a Rochester Hills home because of a 16-year-old boy who had smoked synthetic marijuana had become combative. The Avondale High School teenager was restrained and taken to a hospital where he was listed in serious condition.

A 19-year-old Troy man was arrested May 21 for driving under the influence of drugs. Police saw the man’s vehicle hit a curb at 1:40 a.m. Police said the man was slurring his words and had bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils. After performing poorly on sobriety tests, the man admitted to smoking Spice.

Waterford 51st District Court Judge Jodi Debbrecht said she recently dealt with a 17-year-old who has been a longtime K2/Spice abuser.

“He’s mentally impaired because of the K2 use,” she said. “We don’t know what to do with him. We are trying to come up with a plan.”

State lawmakers in Lansing are working on banning the class of drugs.

“There is some resistance,” said Bouchard, who is pushing for change and is hopeful Lansing will eventually approve a ban that works.

“But if the bill was passed today, it will still take 90 days to take effect.” He estimates the ban may actually be more than a year away.

Bouchard and others encourage people against Spice to make their voices heard.

“Ask business owners who sell it that, as a member of the community who places great value on the health and safety of our community, you won’t be back if they continue to sell it,” said Heather Halls, executive director of the Waterford Coalition for Youth. “Then be prepared to do what you say and cease all business there. We as a community need to take an active role in reducing accessibility.”

Rumor that the drug is undetectable is untrue. An employee at a drug testing lab in Highland Township said they have been testing for K2/Spice for at least a year.

Just this month a group of Independence Township residents have been going door-to-door to businesses asking owners to stop selling K2 and Spice.

There is a profit motive behind selling the mixture, though. One business owner who once sold K2 in the area said some local businesses sell about $10,000 worth of K2 a month, bringing in between $7,000 and $8,000.

Cipriano and Young head back to court on June 8. Layne will appear at her next hearing July 2.

A mother named Kathy who commented online sympathized with Layne.

“I have been in her shoes with my son,” she wrote.

“Who would ever think/believe that I would fear for my life, much less my valuables? But I do. I know the fear of a strong unstable kid in the throes of abuse wanting something from me that I am not going to supply. Under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or even stupid ‘lawful’ K2, or Spice, these people become psychotic, evil people who will stop at nothing to get what they want — more drugs. If my son comes into my home, I have to immediately run upstairs to put the padlock on our walk-in closet where anything of value is stored. I absolutely love him. Do I trust him? Of course not.”

FYIThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates one in nine high school seniors have used the drugs. Calls to poison centers about the drugs rose from 2,900 in 2010 to 7,000 in 2011 and hit 1,200 in the first two months of 2012. For more information on Spice, see www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/spice-synthetic-marijuana